Under the Dome (TV Series)
Under the Dome is an American science fiction drama television series that premiered on CBS on June 24, 2013. The series was developed by Brian K. Vaughan and based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. Both Vaughan and King serve as executive producers along with Neal Baer, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Jack Bender, Steven Spielberg, and Stacey Snider. Danish director Niels Arden Oplev produced and directed the pilot. Neal Baer serves as the showrunner for the series. CBS renewed Under the Dome for a 13-episode second season which premiered on June 30, 2014. Synopsis Season 1 Plot|Season_2#Plot Season 2 Plot}} Under the Dome is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It tells the story of the residents of the small town of Chester's Mill in Maine, where a massive, transparent, indestructible dome suddenly cuts them off from the rest of the world. With no Internet access, no mobile signals and limited radio communication, the people trapped inside must find their own ways to survive with diminishing resources and rising tensions. While military forces, the government and the media positioned outside of this surrounding barrier attempt to break it down, a small group of people inside attempt to figure out what the dome is, where it came from, and when (and if) it will go away. Cast and Characters The cast members portray characters that were mostly taken from the original novel, "although some have been combined and others have changed jobs." Below are characters that appear in 10 episodes or more. Development and Production The project was first announced in November 2009, but it wasn't until two years later that Vaughan was hired to adapt the novel as a series, then set up at cable network Showtime. Showtime entertainment president David Nevins felt that the series wasn't right for the network and suggested to Nina Tassler, his CBS counterpart, that she take on the project. Immediately interested, Tassler picked up the series and attached veteran television producer Neal Baer, who is under contract at CBS, to be the showrunner. It was announced in November 2012 that CBS had bypassed ordering a pilot and given Under the Dome a thirteen-episode straight-to-series commitment. "This is a great novel coming to the television screen with outstanding auspices and in-season production values to create a summer programming event," commented Tassler in the official CBS press release. A teaser trailer was created specially for the 2013 Super Bowl. Instead of showing footage, the teaser directed viewers to the show's official website, where they could enter their street address and postal code to view photos of what their homes and neighborhood would look like "under the dome". On July 29, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season, which will air June 30, 2014. It will consist of 13 episodes. Stephen King will be the writer of the season premiere episode.14 As of August 2013, Vaughan is the series' executive producer and showrunner. Baer has stated that he knows what the ending of the show will be and that five seasons of thirteen episodes would be an ideal length. Filming Filming for the series officially began in Southport and Wilmington, both in North Carolina, on February 28, 2013. Additionally, filming took place in Burgaw, North Carolina. Reception The pilot episode received largely positive reviews, and the initial episodes were generally well received. As of June 25, 2013, the pilot episode has a rating of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic – indicating "generally favorable reviews". Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 82% of 45 critics have given the first season a positive review. The site's consensus is, "Under the Dome is an effective and engrossing horror/mystery with airtight plotting and great special effects." On June 10, 2013, Under the Dome was one of the six series chosen for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series. But by August 13, 2013, eight episodes into the season, reviews of the show had declined sharply, with TV.com's Tim Surette calling it "mediocre TV" and Geek Speak Magazine's Rachel Hyland calling it "a silly, silly show" of "abiding awfulness." On June 27, 2013, Stephen King acknowledged that "the TV version of Under the Dome varies considerably from the book version", and called the series "very good" while commenting on some of those differences: If you look closely, you’ll see that most of my characters are still there, although some have been combined and others have changed jobs. That’s also true of the big stuff, like the supermarket riot, the reason for all that propane storage, and the book’s thematic concerns with diminishing resources. Many of the changes wrought by Brian K. Vaughan and his team of writers have been of necessity, and I approved of them wholeheartedly. Some have been occasioned by their plan to keep the Dome in place over Chester’s Mill for months instead of little more than a week, as is the case in the book. Other story modifications are slotting into place because the writers have completely re-imagined the source of the Dome. Ratings U.S. ratingsThe June 24 "Pilot" established records for the highest rated CBS summer premiere since Big Brother's 2000 season, the highest drama summer premiere on any network since 1992 and the second highest rated premiere of the 2012–13 United States network television schedule after The Following.30 With DVR figures added, the series premiere was viewed by a total of 17.76 million viewers. 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